Week 47 – Abstract (Ron)

The image captured here is looking up into the dome of the Old State Capitol building in Tallahassee.  It provides a stunning Abstract design that incorporates the colors of the State of Florida.  It is not a large dome and it is reconstructed from the glass fragments found in the basement of the old Capital Building during the reconstruction of the building.  The original plans called for demolition and the dome was destroyed in the beginning of the process but the workers put the glass in the hollow spaces of the walls which then collected in the basement.

Week 46 – Aged to Perfection (Ron)

In 1850 the bones of a Mastadon were found in the bottom of a Spring in northern Florida along with those of other mammals.  Interest in the area grew, developers dreamed of river developments but fortunately Edward Ball recognized the need to preserve this natural area in 1934 while still making it a Florida attraction.  Today 200 to 300 million gallons of water flow from the Springs daily to form the Wakulla River which then flows 15 miles downstream into the St. Mark’s River.  The water temperature is a constant 65-68 degrees.  I captured this image after a heavy rainfall on a very warm day which resulted in a mist or fog hanging low over the river.  The surrounding area is undistributed because its part of the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park.  You get the sense when traveling on the river that you are in a primeval forest that has Aged to Perfection.

Week 45 – With a Ball (Ron)

Here is an example of how to decorate your front yard With a Ball to show your support for your team and perhaps create a unique moniker for your residence.  I believe what’s written on the ball is a play on words but I did not knock on the door to ask for an explanation! I captured this image in the rain on the way to Apalachicola traveling along US Route 98 last week.  The house is located just East of Lanark Village and the 4 to 5 foot high ball has apparently been a feature of the area for sometime.

Week 44 – Stitched Together (Ron)

Materials can be stitched things together in may different ways.  Marcia uses a sewing machine to stitch fabric together to create or repair items made from cloth.  These items will often surround the body of a person to help give them shape and support.  Images in a camera can be stitched together to yield a panoramic view telling a story often different than what a single image portrays.  Nature has its own techniques for stitching fiber together to create trees, shrubs or other plant life.  In this image we see how Nature has Stitched Together the bark of a Bismark Palm Tree to help give it shape, form and strength.

Week 43 – (A5) Seasonal (Ron)

A couple weeks ago, I was trying to capture an image of a cardinal sitting on my garage peak in the glow of the late afternoon sun.  But I was not successful and when I turned away from that attempt, I noticed this Magnolia in full flower and I decided to capture it with my long lens.  This allowed me to photograph the flower as if I were close up and to compress the image with the foliage serving as backdrop to highlight and isolate the flower.  The Magnolia is a magnificent flower and a beautiful example of a Seasonal photograph.

 

 

Week 42 – Four (Ron)

In the 1960s and 70s we were fascinated with the forays into space and the space race with the Russians.   In this image captured at the Kennedy Space Center are Four of the rockets that launched test probes, satellites and eventually space capsules first with monkeys and then later with astronauts.  Located in the Rocket Garden are (left to right) Jupiter, Thor, Atlas and Titan, symbols of the early days of exploring space.  I have processed the image in monochrome and then applied a treatment to make it look more like an old newspaper photograph to reflect the times of the “cold war.”   When we viewed these rockets being launched they were often black and white images.

Week 42 – Negative Space (Ron)

Negative Space can be good and it can be bad.  In this image of a single bird taken at 360mm has a lot of negative space and I cropped it carefully keeping the ratio of the negative space to the subject bird.  I wanted to illustrate the theme but also cause the viewer to contemplate the bird flying into this emptiness or negative space.   What may make this image work for some viewers is to see the subject as the Negative Space the bird occupies and not the bird itself.  It was a late January afternoon with the golden glow of a nearing sunset highlighting the birds body.